Tomorrow morning over at Kirkus, I discuss the upcoming novel (Fall 2011) from one of my favorite authors, Jack Gantos. The link will be here in the morning. {Ed. to Add on Friday: The link is here.}

Last week, I took a look at illustrators who currently have picture books out on shelves, who also did—or still continue to do—editorial illustrations. Let’s call it “The New Yorker Effect” just for fun. Well, I already did: The column is here, if you missed it last Friday. And because I love to show spreads from these picture books, I’m here today—with Frank Viva’s coffee cup in hand (pulled from a spread below)—to show lots of art. Pictured above is one of Frank’s spreads from Along a Long Road (Little, Brown, June 2011). Along a Long Road is one beautiful book. I just said the title twice. Notice? One reviewer has described these spreads as “meditative,” which is a great word for this book. And it just occurred to me the title is rather hypnotizing, too.

Each illustrator mentioned in last week’s column—Laura Ljungkvist, Stephen Savage, Bob Staake, and Frank Viva—also shares some editorial illustrations below. In one instance, we’re treated to some early picture-book sketches. (Even if you just skim this post or are thinking about skipping it altogether, at least scroll down to see Staake’s Minimalist Christmas from ’08. That’s brilliant is what that is. I wish my brain worked that way.)

And note things like Ljungkvist’s (she will stop by for an interview soon, and I’ll have to ask her how to actually pronounce that consonant-heavy name. Isn’t it fascinating just to look at?) … Where was I? Oh right. Scroll down to Ljungkvist’s “Tables for Two” editorial illustration for The New Yorker. Aha! A predecessor, I see, to her very fun Follow the Line books for children. It’s all exciting for Illustration Junkies like me and many 7-Imp readers to see how this editorial art informs their children’s book illustration — or perhaps vice versa.

Note of interest for folks in New York City: Stephen Savage tells me that he and Frank Viva will do a reading at The Powerhouse Arena on Sunday, July 10, from 4-5pm. More information is here.

Enjoy the art.

* * * Bob Staake * * *

“Weird and kooky THINGS THAT GO! Some go fast, some go slow!Can you find the squawking crow?”(Click to enlarge)

“Indeed, with two shops on the block, both selling donuts round the clock,Well, people asked — you might have guessed — ‘Whose donuts are the very best?'” — From The Donut Chef (Golden Books/Random House, 2008)(Click to enlarge)

Looks like I goofed when I noted in last week’s Kirkus column that this one was released this April. Clearly, it was April of last year. Ah well. Better late than never. I did, however, finally see a copy this week of Laura’s Follow the Line to School, which will be released in July by Viking Juvenile…

Laura: “{Above} was was my first printed piece for the magazine. I was brand new to New York, and when I came to pick up my sketches, of which they bought 23 (!), they told me that the first was running in the coming issue. They were running the sketch, and I was horrified because it wasn’t perfect.Looking at it now, I think it’s pretty good!”

Laura: “{Above is} another that ran in the theatre section of ‘Goings-on around town.'”

[…] This June 7-Imp post featured some of Laura’s editorial art, including her “Tables for Two” illustration for The New Yorker, which was clearly a predecessor to her Follow the Line books for children. It’s interesting to note how her editorial art informs her children’s book illustration — or perhaps vice versa. “It’s natural,” she told me around the time of that post, “for an editorial illustrator to write and illustrate their own books. After ’solving your clients’ visual problems’ comes a time when you want to ’solve your own problem.’ It’s the same process; only now you’re the boss!” […]

[…] author’s note states that Viva, whom you may remember from last year’s stand-out Along a Long Road, based this book on his experiences aboard a Russian research vessel during a trip to the Antarctic […]